Thursday, October 31, 2013

I wanted to try painting this one without sketching first and that actually made it more fun because you don't know for sure how it's going to turn out until you're done. I still have some background work to do so it isn't signed yet. Also, some people have asked about the depth of color in these watercolors. I use a Grumbacher pan set - 24 colors. This particular one comes in "opaque" and "transparent" and I use the "opaque" - I'm not a fan of the watery, transparent look. You can see my set here.

The frame is a 16" square, black and silver with a black mat.

One of my boys has mentioned several times that he'd like a painting of a rooster for his office. Specifically, a rooster that has a bit of an attitude . . . kind of a judgmental look about him. I think most roosters look that way naturally, but "The Boss" was done for him. So this painting will soon be heading to Minnesota.

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Today, a friend and I took a drive to a great little shop in the country, Monches Farm. Along with beautiful seasonal home decor, they have a perennial farm, and a chicken house. Seeing all the chickens and the roosters strutting around made me think about painting one of those kingpins!

I've named him "The Judge" - because he's the one who would walk around like he owns the place. 6 x 8 inch watercolor - it's the perfect size for a standard 5 x 7 inch mat. It has been painted on extremely sturdy #300 Arches Cold Press Watercolor Paper. You can find it in my Etsy shop, Gillyflower Cottage, or on my gallery page at Daily Paintworks.

Also, my ABC book,

O is for the BIG OAK TREE, Children's Rhymes from A to Z

is in the shop at Gillyflower Cottage. They did a great job on them. The colors are rich and vibrant and the books are printed on heavy cardstock with the front and back covers on even heavier stock. Spiral bound to make it easy to see the whole painting on each page, and easy holding for read-alouds.

I ordered 30 copies and am busy personalizing - 15 books have been purchased and will be mailed out by the end of the week.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

The 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge taught me a lot about the importance of daily painting if you want to improve. So I've been working in a couple different sketchbooks, and trying to get in my painting practice every day. Today's watercolor sketch is one of my favorite subjects - the Icelandic Blue Poppy!

Sketching it out in pencil, then pen . . .

and finally, watercolor.

Next . . .

the first proof of,

O is for the BIG OAK TREE,

Children's Rhymes from A to Z

is in.

The colors are vibrant and everything is looking great! It looks like the printed books will be ready in the next couple weeks, so it's way ahead of schedule. I'll be placing the order based on sales made in my Etsy shop plus a couple extras. If you're interested, the book listing is here, and the personalization option is here. Etsy automatically adds the shipping cost to the book, so if you're local (Milwaukee area), I'll be refunding you the shipping amount when you pick up the book.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Since working on the 30 Paintings in 30 Days, and then an ABC book for my brand new grandson, I've grown to love using watercolors. The supplies are so easy to transport, they dry quickly, the colors are VIBRANT, and there are so many ways to use them. I had never really tried them out until I needed a way to keep painting while on the road. So, that's just one of the many wonderful things that came out of my participation in Leslie Saeta's 30 in 30 Challenge and Plein Air Palette Knife Workshop.

So, as things progress, I'll be posting news about my Alphabet book, but I'll also be posting some pages from my watercolor journal. Today . . . a few pages of some watercolor sketches of Ruby's Old Yellow Barn and some outbuildings.

is getting close to being finished. Five pages to go! You can pre-order the book here at my Etsy shop, Gillyflower Cottage. I've been looking into a local graphics business for publishing - hence the better price!

Monday, October 14, 2013

Another page for Jack's book, A Little Person's ABCs. This one is for his mom, Kate, who had many a Lop Eared Rabbit in her childhood. Maybe Jack will too?

And . . . a new addition to my Etsy shop, Gillyflower Cottage . . . several different note card styles that have been professionally printed with my original artwork. Frame one and bundle up the remaining note cards for an affordable gift, or use the cards as is.

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Today we drove out to Holy Hill to see the fall colors. It was quiet, and still, and peaceful - a beautiful day and perfect for a walk in the woods . . . which inspired my page for Q!

You can pre-order the book in my Etsy shophere. You can also purchase an option to personalize your book on the "G is for Grandmas and Grandpas" page to make the book specific to YOUR child/grandchild.

While the rhymes are all written, the paintings for my little grandson's alphabet book are moving along. Sixteen done, ten to go!

I've also been looking into places to publish the book and found a great one, so it looks like I'm right on target for having the book available for mailing by mid-late November. You can pre-order the book in my Etsy shophere. You can also purchase an option to personalize your book on the "G is for Grandmas and Grandpas" page to make the book specific to YOUR child/grandchild.

So, you can now pre-order on ETSY with 2 opportunities to personalize the LITTLE PERSON'S ABCs for your own child or grandchild - delivery estimated by mid-late November. More on that at the end of the post.

Here is J, which stands for Jack, of course. The Etsy copy will have a different word in the place of Jack. (I know not everyone has a son/grandson named Jack!) That "J" page is coming soon.

And, K, for the KITCHEN! (The "K page" in the Etsy book will not have Jack's name on the refrigerator drawings.)

A LITTLE PERSON'S ABCs offers lots of great opportunities for growing your child's vocabulary. As they become readers themselves, the rhymes offer creative practice for oral reading fluency. Check out the A LITTLE PERSON'S ABCs in my Etsy shop,

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Almost two months ago I became a grandmother and I couldn't be more thrilled. A few years ago, I wrote about his mom and dad here. Now little Jack is here, and while he won't be reading for a couple years, but he certainly needs to be read TO. And what better for a grandmother to read to her grandchild than her very own words!

So here's the beginning of my version of an ABC book, just for JACK, written and illustrated with him in mind!

(There had to be a bicycle in the book, of course, since his dad is quite a cyclist!)

So, every day or so, I'll be adding to this book for him. I hope to have it done in time for his baptism in a couple months. I hope you'll check back now and then to see how it's coming along. When the book is complete it will be available for purchase in my Etsy shop, Gillyflower Cottage.